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The biggest part of the exam by far is politics, mostly concerning what happened in the federal government in [[Washington, D.C.]].

The biggest part of the exam by far is politics, mostly concerning what happened in the federal government in [[Washington, D.C.]].

Notice what is missing on the College Board exams:  military history.  Unfortunately, many educators in the [[United States]] dislike the military, and that bias shows up on the exams.  No questions are there about battles or key military strategies and decisions.  The only time the military shows up on these exams is when they have a political impact, and then they qualify as political history.

 

Every student in the [[United States]] is supposed to take several courses in [[American History]].  As a result, how this subject is taught has a big influence on what Americans believe, and how they vote when they are older.  Someone who is taught and believes that [[Bill Clinton]] or [[Jimmy Carter]] are great [[American]] heroes are more likely to vote [[Democratic]] than someone who learns that [[Ronald Reagan]] had a bigger and better impact than both of them combined.  Going backwards in time, how the textbooks and teachers praise or criticize [[George Washington]] and [[Christopher Columbus]] can shape many students' minds both about America and about Christianity.

 

Bias is worth recognizing, and it can even be fun spotting the half-truths and misleading claims that are put in textbooks and exams to try to take students away from Christian truths and American patriotism.  Our Honors track in this course will enable students to address bias they see in textbooks, Wikipedia, and other sources concerning American history.  

== Periods in American History ==

== Periods in American History ==

First, a word about College Board exams.  This course will give you the foundation -- if you like -- for taking three different College Board exams (usually a student takes only one of the three):  the [[CLEP]], the [[AP]], and the [[SAT II]].   

First, a word about College Board exams.  This course will give you the foundation -- if you like -- for taking three different College Board exams (usually a student takes only one of the three):  the [[CLEP]], the [[AP]], and the [[SAT II]].   

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The CLEP is a multiple-choice exam that is recognized by most (but not all) colleges as a way to earn college credit.  It costs about $50 and is administered on computers at local colleges, usually once a month.   

The CLEP is a multiple-choice exam that is recognized by most (but not all) colleges as a way to earn college credit.  It costs about $50 and is administered on computers at local colleges, usually once a month.  It is the least biased of the three exams.   

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The AP, or Advanced Placement exam, is given only once a year in May at local high schools, and is more expensive.  It includes both multiple-choice and essay questions, and is used by different colleges to give credit for courses.  In 2009, the AP exam for U.S. History is scheduled for Friday, May 9.  

The AP, or Advanced Placement exam, is given only once a year in May at local high schools, and is more expensive.  It includes both multiple-choice and essay questions, and is used by different colleges to give credit for courses.  In 2009, the AP exam for U.S. History is scheduled for Friday, May 9.  

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The SAT II in American History is an inexpensive multiple-choice exam that takes only an hour and is given at high schools on Saturdays once a month, October through June.  No college credit is given for it, but it is used for college applications to recognize achievement.  The SAT II is the most biased of the three exams, and is known for emphasizing liberal culture and matters of race and gender.  The CLEP exam is probably the least biased on the three.   

The SAT II in American History is an inexpensive multiple-choice exam that takes only an hour and is given at high schools on Saturdays once a month, October through June.  No college credit is given for it, but it is used for college applications to recognize achievement.  The SAT II is the most biased of the three exams, and is known for emphasizing liberal culture and matters of race and gender.  For example, the "cultural and intellectual history" portion seems important to the exam but actually it is mostly cultural rather than intellectual history, and the questions are liberal in nature (e.g., asking about an artist who liberals like).  Also, what counts as "economic history" is not what you might expect.  There are almost no questions about the [[conservative]] gold standard, for example, even though that issue the political scene throughout history (and was even an issue in [[Ron Paul]]'s campaign for presidency in 2008).  Instead, questions about economic history on the SAT II are likely to be about unions, the treatment of workers, alleged corruption of big business, and gender and racial issues.

Notice what is missing on the College Board exams:  military history.  Unfortunately, many educators in the [[United States]] dislike the military, and that bias shows up on the exams.  No questions are there about battles or key military strategies and decisions.  The only time the military shows up on these exams is when they have a political impact, and then they qualify as political history.

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Each of these College Board exams can be taken as often as one likes, though it is difficult to take the AP exam more than once because it is offered only once a year, and it is expensive to retake the CLEP exam.  The SAT II, which is cheaper, is the easiest to take more than once and colleges only look at the highest score.

Each of these College Board exams can be taken as often as one likes, though it is difficult to take the AP exam more than once because it is offered only once a year, and it is expensive to retake the CLEP exam.  The SAT II, which is cheaper, is the easiest to take more than once and colleges only look at the highest score.

<br><br>There is absolutely no requirement to take any of these College Board exams as part of this course, and references to the exams are used more as a way of helping you see the "big picture," as in how much time should be spent on a particular period or historical topic.  Our class has only two required, multiple-choice exams:  a midterm and a final.  This course will also help students improve their test-taking skills on multiple-choice exams.  We will also have weekly homework assignments consisting of short-answer questions.

<br><br>There is absolutely no requirement to take any of these College Board exams as part of this course, and references to the exams are used more as a way of helping you see the "big picture," as in how much time should be spent on a particular period or historical topic.  Our class has only two required, multiple-choice exams:  a midterm and a final.  This course will also help students improve their test-taking skills on multiple-choice exams.  We will also have weekly homework assignments consisting of short-answer questions.

[[Category:United States History]]

[[Category:United States History]]